Explaining Yourself

I'm listening!

soz,

I wasn't much help with your last question about this. But just an FYI, I'd give y'all free hosting if you do ever want the website.

I could design it too, or set you up with templates if you need to make frequent additions.

Great idea CDK

Craven, I may well take you up on that. Except for the fact that I know you already have WAY too much on your plate, and I'd feel guilty. But the people we have working on this now are foot-dragging idiots.

Ahem.

If you really have the time and inclination, that could be fabulous. Thanks so much for the offer, in any case.

I'm actually feeling pretty good about how things are going -- have found lots of good stuff with Chicago sports teams, for example. The Bears have a very generous charitable arm. Have contacted all those folks -- Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, WhiteSox, Cubs -- and expect to get at least good stuff for the silent auction if not some of their bigger grants. Lil' deaf kids are good grant bait.

I feel your pain.

It is a very difficult dilemma, I think - especially with community organisations which, frankly, after a couple of horrendous experiences, scare the pants off me.

Unfortunately, with large committees, I have not yet heard of one which solved the problem - I mean, as you know, one or two people usually end up doing the work - but everyone will reserve the right to complain and cavil.

This is gonna sound awful - but could you treat some of the communications and consultations as one does choices for little kids - ie offer a couple of pre-determined as workable choices, rather than open slather?

But I am sure you do that already....

Thanks Husker!

soz,

I can do a simple template or you and teach you how to update and upload it. It would take me a few minutes.

Exactly why squinney and I sold the events planning division of our business. Not only are people idiots, they're ungrateful idiots at the end of the day.

Het soz. dont forget your registration with the Charitable Institutions Act ( Im waay over my head but as a board member of an environmental action group we got intrubble 2 years ago with a money laun... er raising event.)

You wanna do 50K with a bake sale???? Jeea we must be talkin some really good muffins here. lesseee, at 2 bucks a muffin thats uhhh 25000 of em. or about 2 tons of flour

why dont you start a routine e-mail update (unsolicited of course) that lays out your expectations and milestones , as well as target donations . I would not hesitate to point out to the arshole who underrequested from a target donor that itsoften a point of honor to look at donations as a real percent of the donors worth You dont ask a Dupont compaqny for a 50 dollar donation. Thats chump change, they often cant write a check that small.
well , good luck girl

That's right, farmerman - Soz, it's volunteer work that you';re doing, right? What would they do, fire you? Tell someone or everyone about that 25% job. Ijits.

Keep in mind that you're doing a good thing, you're helping and you can only give what they'll take.

Soz, just how much time would it take and/or save for you to do some sort of summary you could mail out to everyone? Do you think that might be helpful for everyone involved? Keeping communication open and letting everyone know whats going on is good....or perhaps theres someone who could put together a summary of key points from everyones plate so that you could all see where you are, where youre going, etc.

Good luck gal..sounds like you're pullin your hair out here and there on this one...dont go bald!!

Sympathy flying. I haven't done fund raising but I was facilitator for community meetings in a famously ructious community and have shied away from my previously admiring community participation ideal since then. Actually it wasn't the community that was the entire problem, mostly the community worked hard to come together, it was the loco planning agency, who kept changing personnel, with no institutional memory in place. Even for pay I wouldn't do that again. I think.

Thanks thanks thanks thanks everyone!

Missed ya there dlowan before -- thanks to you as well.

Farmerman, yeah, I had the same "uh you better have a KILLER recipe" reaction when I got the "bake sale" recommendation. The gal was really pushing it. "I have this GREAT idea -- ILY ["I love you" asl handshape] cookies!!" This is fine, but it is indeed chump change. The way I explained it to her is that I have a very limited amount of time available to work on this stuff. I'm looking to get the maximum $$ return on every hour I spend. I'm filling out an application for a Target grant now -- will take me about 5 hours start to finish (locating, filling out, sending, etc.), and stand to get $1,000 to $5,000. A bake sale would take 10 to 20 hours to coordinate and run, and would make $500 if we're lucky. So a $200-$1,000/hr return vs. a $25-$50/ hr return.

I'm trying to do the high-end stuff. $1,000 - $25,000 individual/ corporate donations.

Unfortunately, Ms. 25% is the president. Have to go with that one. I have asked to have a meeting with her to go over things and be more coordinated. She has been doing a lot of scattershot stuff that may work or may make my job (and by extension hers) much harder.

quinn, the summary is what got this mess started. I did one, as brief slash thorough as I could, and that just seemed to open the floodgates. And Farmerman, I have a pretty detailed plan of action that I sent to everyone, but that doesn't mean anyone READ it.

*stew stew simmer simmer*

I'm liking dlowan's either/ or tack right now.

Farmerman, tell me more about the Charitable Institutions Act thing. We have a lawyer on the board who brings up stuff like that, usually, and he hasn't said anything yet...?

Craven, if it's really just a few minutes of your time, I'd LOVE that. They have a domain name set up already and everything so that could be a little complicated, but I would love to be able to have some workable version ready, point them to it, and say "see, this is what we could do. It's really not hard." I've worked with the tech guy we're using before and he's smart 'n' all but endlessly puts things off. That's especially a problem for keeping things current, if he's the only one who can do it.

BPB and dlowan (sorry I'm all over the place, writing fast), yeah, I'm getting scareder and scareder of committees. I thought it would be a good way to keep a foot in my profession while I'm a SAHM, but they are just so incredibly frustrating. I've quit 6 already, 5 at one swell foop, and would like to hold on to this one. I DO like a challenge, and I DO like proving doubters not just a little bit but very very very wrong.

"no institutional memory", yah, been there done that. would have the t-shirt except for the fact that I ripped it into tiny shreds and set fire to each piece.

sozobe, One great management tool I learned while I was amongst the employed was a tool called "Ghant Charting." It assigns responsibility for each task on a time line, and all that extraneous stuff disappears - or almost. c.i.

Oh man, I feel your pain. Can't say any more.

I'll second what Jespah said.

I know nothing about this kind of thing, but I'll be here rooting for you Sozobe. Sounds like you are very determined and I'm quite sure you'll reach your goal.

You go girl!!!!! ;-)

"Swell foop"! Love it!

Good luck!